Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 10:45     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:A lot of us went to college in the 90s when there were a fewer kids pursuing higher ed. Our generation gave birth to a generation much higher larger than our own. It was much more common to stay on campus b/c there was plenty of space. It's not the norm anymore. It took my awhile to get used to the idea of moving off campus after freshman year, but if I had eliminated schools that didn't have housing for 4 years, my kid would have had to toss out all their favorite schools. Freshman looking in the fall is also normal, it's not a weird thing about certain schools. That said, there is also, at some schools, the idea that you need to secure in the fall, but it's just not true. My kid is in one of the schools mentioned and they heard about a rush for housing. However, there is still plenty of housing stock and a lot of parents report getting better rates in April than those that (illegally) locked in in November. My kid is only looking at the high rises.


I went to a public university in California in the early 90s. Was one of few students who lived on campus for two years, moving off after 1st year was more common. I lived off campus after that. DS goes to VT and moved off campus after 1st year, had no desire to stay on campus. It's the culture. In contrast, DD goes to a little LAC, will live on campus all 4 years and likes that experience. Based on my and DS's experience, I assumed as a junior, she and her friends would want to try to get one of the apartment-style housing options but they preferred to stick with a traditional dorm room because the location on campus is more convenient. But, they chose a dorm that doesn't house any freshman.
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 10:29     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
So what is the real deal with pitt housing? Are freshmen housing reasonable or avoid at all costs?
Anonymous
Post 02/03/2026 00:56     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:A good question to ask when touring schools or when reps visit.


I was surprised how few upperclassmen at U Mich live on campus. When you have huge universities, they just don’t have a lot of housing stock relative to the size of the student population


Most upperclassmen don't live on campus in general - unless it's a tiny SLAC.


Not true. Most of the ivies have on campus housing all 4 years.


Maybe half of the ivies. I know that the ones that guarantee 4 years of on-campus housing are Harvard, Princeton, Columbia (not sure if this will continue with the increasing class size) and I believe Brown.

Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell and UPenn guarantee only 2 years.





Right. Not all if the Ivies offer four year housing. Harvard and Yale do because og the original “house” system they
both started. At Yale, you go right into your @house” and often live there all four years. At Harvard, all freshman go into
Harvard yard then deject their houses for tears 2, 3, and 4.


This is wrong. You don't know Yale, clearly. Yale doesn't have houses. It has residential colleges. Most first years live on Old Campus, not in their college. But 4 colleges (TD, Silliman and the 2 new ones) do house their freshman in the colleges. Then everyone lives in their college soph - senior year.

Back in my day, very few students moved off campus. That number went up since Covid but it's still not that high.


Wrong. The majority of juniors and seniors at Yale now live off campus. This is the reason Yale very recently (class of 2029) has started expanding the class size. It also changes the dynamics of the residential college system which Yale “sells” and is a big reason students choose Yale. As an alum, I’m disappointed to learn of these changes.

Also , Yale only guarantees two years of on-campus housing now. It’s on their website.
Anonymous
Post 02/02/2026 22:33     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:A good question to ask when touring schools or when reps visit.


I was surprised how few upperclassmen at U Mich live on campus. When you have huge universities, they just don’t have a lot of housing stock relative to the size of the student population


Most upperclassmen don't live on campus in general - unless it's a tiny SLAC.


Not true. Most of the ivies have on campus housing all 4 years.


Maybe half of the ivies. I know that the ones that guarantee 4 years of on-campus housing are Harvard, Princeton, Columbia (not sure if this will continue with the increasing class size) and I believe Brown.

Yale, Dartmouth, Cornell and UPenn guarantee only 2 years.





Right. Not all if the Ivies offer four year housing. Harvard and Yale do because og the original “house” system they
both started. At Yale, you go right into your @house” and often live there all four years. At Harvard, all freshman go into
Harvard yard then deject their houses for tears 2, 3, and 4.


This is wrong. You don't know Yale, clearly. Yale doesn't have houses. It has residential colleges. Most first years live on Old Campus, not in their college. But 4 colleges (TD, Silliman and the 2 new ones) do house their freshman in the colleges. Then everyone lives in their college soph - senior year.

Back in my day, very few students moved off campus. That number went up since Covid but it's still not that high.
Anonymous
Post 02/02/2026 20:28     Subject: Re:Colleges with Housing Shortages
Does Umich have housing shortage?
Anonymous
Post 02/02/2026 20:09     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Purdue and LSU are also a nightmare


Not sure if it's still like this, but when my student was accepted to Purdue for Fall 2022, they required an enrollment deposit by April 15 that was non-refundable (was either $400 or $500) in order to guarantee housing that was not auxiliary housing (off campus but nominally owned/operated by Purdue). No idea if it's still like that, but my student was still visiting/revisiting her top choices in mid-April since the pandemic prevented an earlier start on campus visits to farther away schools, and she ended up ruling out Purdue in part to that early deadline.

She should have had until May 1 to make a final school decision without penalty. Rubbed me the wrong way. That said, their admitted day was very well done and its clearly a strong school. Their communications/marketing felt much more like a private school than a public one, and it may have been more of a contender had it been closer/easier for my kid from where we live (NC) and not had that early deadline. She ended up a very enthusiastic Hokie and has had a fabulous almost 4 yrs at VT.


Bumping this as we are taking our kid to admitted student days at Purdue and two other schools in mid-April over spring break. We won’t be done with our tours before Purdue’s April 15 housing deadline. Should we pay the housing deposit in advance while our kid is still deciding which school to attend? Have others done this and did you get any refund back by cancelling before May 1?
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2026 06:57     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
2 of our kids went to overcrowded schools:

Kid one, 3 kids put in a double. Roomed with those 3 all 4 years, w on campus, 2 off campus in a group house that was, we'll, not ever anywhere close to my standard levels of livable, but that's what students do.

Kid two, year 1 in a traditional double with 2, year 2 in a single with 2, years 3 and 4 off campus, 4 kids in a 2-room, 1 bath. It was cramped, I don't think the apartment was meant for 4 people.

The kids all bond over their crappy living conditions, and the parents all lament how we would never live like that. The kids are all fine, and thrive, having made friends in those close quarters
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2026 06:17     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:A good question to ask when touring schools or when reps visit.


I was surprised how few upperclassmen at U Mich live on campus. When you have huge universities, they just don’t have a lot of housing stock relative to the size of the student population


Many upperclassmen prefer to live off campus...
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2026 05:08     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:The largest cities within 30 minutes of UMass Amherst are Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. I would encourage anyone reading this thread to check out rent prices in those cities (or read their Wikipedia articles or census profiles) if you want to fully understand the ridiculousness of PP's claim.
Good luck living in Springfield, Holyoke, or Chicopee. Do you want to get shot? Essentially nothing is affordable in Hampshire County


Those areas are fine. I went to school there and have friends still there.
Anonymous
Post 02/01/2026 05:05     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:The largest cities within 30 minutes of UMass Amherst are Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. I would encourage anyone reading this thread to check out rent prices in those cities (or read their Wikipedia articles or census profiles) if you want to fully understand the ridiculousness of PP's claim.
Good luck living in Springfield, Holyoke, or Chicopee. Do you want to get shot? Essentially nothing is affordable in Hampshire County
Anonymous
Post 01/31/2026 21:37     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Probably the biggest knock on Purdue - freshmen are guaranteed housing. After that.....well..................
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 15:17     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Any colleges/universities with a pulse have housing issues. Good warm up for life's greater housing crisis.
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 15:16     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
The largest cities within 30 minutes of UMass Amherst are Springfield, Holyoke, and Chicopee. I would encourage anyone reading this thread to check out rent prices in those cities (or read their Wikipedia articles or census profiles) if you want to fully understand the ridiculousness of PP's claim.
Anonymous
Post 01/29/2026 15:11     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:UMass Amherst


Could you expand on that?
https://offcampushousing.umass.edu/housing Have a gander at these prices. The town is run by 70 year olds who hate students and want the place to look like it did when they were children. They get mad both when private developers try building apartments in town and when the university tries building dorms on its own land. It's horrid


You could also have a gander at rent prices in the surrounding area, which are among the lowest in the entire country.
Do you know anything about the area? You're not getting low rents in Northampton, Sunderland, or anywhere within 30 minutes of campus without qualifying for "affordable housing" (which students typically are not eligible for)


Do I know anything? I grew up there. Are you seriously insinuating that Western Mass is an expensive, high-rent area?????
Anonymous
Post 01/28/2026 09:48     Subject: Colleges with Housing Shortages
A lot of us went to college in the 90s when there were a fewer kids pursuing higher ed. Our generation gave birth to a generation much higher larger than our own. It was much more common to stay on campus b/c there was plenty of space. It's not the norm anymore. It took my awhile to get used to the idea of moving off campus after freshman year, but if I had eliminated schools that didn't have housing for 4 years, my kid would have had to toss out all their favorite schools. Freshman looking in the fall is also normal, it's not a weird thing about certain schools. That said, there is also, at some schools, the idea that you need to secure in the fall, but it's just not true. My kid is in one of the schools mentioned and they heard about a rush for housing. However, there is still plenty of housing stock and a lot of parents report getting better rates in April than those that (illegally) locked in in November. My kid is only looking at the high rises.